June 23, 2003

Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will establish an institute intended to apply knowledge of the human genome to the practice of medicine.

The institute will try to determine the molecular causes of disease by systematically examining genes and proteins. That could lead to new ways to prevent and diagnose illnesses and to treat their causes rather than just their symptoms, as many medicines now do.

This was the first in a series of Nanotechnology Leadership Conferences designed to bring together investors, entrepreneurs, and execs from companies and research labs to “create the world’s leading nanotechnology cluster.”

June 19, 2003

“This is your opportunity to provide input on whether molecular manufacturing — the advanced molecular nanotechnology expected to bring the most important results — is specifically mentioned in this bill,” says Christine Peterson, presdient of Foresight Institute.

“The House of Representatives has already passed its own nanotech bill, H.R. 766, which… read more

June 18, 2003

An academic experiment has lead to a new class of drug for attacking heart disease.

Researchers found that oxidants are involved in activating the genes that initiate the inflammatory process that causes atherosclerosis and that a modified form of an antioxidant, Probucol (an anticholesterol medication) blocks this process.

June 18, 2003

A nanoscale random access memory (NRAM) memory chip based on carbon nanotubes under development by Nantero would have a theoretical capacity of 10 gigabits of data and would be non-volatile.

To simplify fabrication, Nantero applies the nanotubes randomly across the entire surface of a silicon wafer. It then uses existing lithographic equipment to etch away the nanotubes that are not in the correct alignment.

June 16, 2003

According to a panel of experts convened by Battelle at the close of the recent war in Iraq, the top ten innovations in technology by the year 2012 will make military action faster and safer — with far less bloodshed and damage — resulting in greater American security at home and around the world.

June 16, 2003

An emerging type of chip architecture known as adaptive, or reconfigurable, computing, could transform technology, combining the programmability of the microprocessor with the speed of dedicated hardware.

With this new approach, software is able to effectively redraw a chip’s physical circuitry on the fly. Adaptive computing enables a single chip to perform tasks normally requiring several; it can add speed while saving cost and energy, compared to today’s conventional… read more

June 16, 2003

A new noninvasive microscopy technique that could lead to optical biopsies without removal of tissue is being reported by biophysical scientists at Cornell and Harvard universities.

The researchers have demonstrated the new imaging technique by making live-tissue intrinsic fluorescence scans of autopsy samples from the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and by imaging mammary gland tumors in mice that serve as models of human cancer.

June 16, 2003

Biophysics researchers at Cornell and Harvard researchers have proposed a new method of imaging the cytoskeletal infrastructure of nerve cells to map the nervous system as it develops and struggles to repair itself.

The technique allows for in vivo images of the growth of microtubules by detecting the second harmonic generated from microtubules when hit by laser light.

The technique could answer the puzzle about which errant pathways… read more